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Chapter 15: Success Stories
— Diaster to Dream
Katie and
Bob Fisher of Oakville, Illinois had a similar problem to
Bud's — the lawn of the house they'd just bought consisted of
dead grass and bare patches that were the result of neglect by
the previous owner of the property.
During the
buying process, Bob and Katie had tried to get the seller to
fix the lawn as part of the deal, but the seller told them in
no uncertain terms that it would be very expensive and wotuld
raise the price of the home a lot.
At that point, Katie
sighed and looked at her husband. "Guess we'll have to do it
ourselves, Bob."
He nodded. "I'm sure that with a
little education on lawns, we can figure it
out."
"Good," Katie answered, "because I won't be able
to tolerate this lawn looking poorly."
They tested the soil - the pH
was very high, so they added high-acid fertilizers on top of
the old lawn and tilled it in, both to mix in the fertilizer
and to aerate the soil. Bob recalls, "We even set up a
small screen and ran the soil through it to get rid of small
rocks and dead grass clumps."
Then Katie talked to a man
who ran a local garden shop about  what sorts of grasses grew best in their
climate (northern United States, which is on the cold side of
temperate.)
She settled on St. Augustine grass. "I love
the look and feel of St. Augustine," Katie says with a big
smile. "It reminds me of the yard of the house I grew up in.
And it feels wonderful underneath bare feet in the
summer!"
The cost of laying sod* was high, but with St.
Augustine, it was the safest way to go. And the lawn had to be
laid in and to look good quickly, since Katie's mother was
throwing a housewarming party in tw o weeks.
| The Fishers’
lawn: Before |
The
Fishers arranged for sod to be delivered, hired several
neighbourhood youths to help, and spent a long weekend laying
sod.
After the sod was laid, they
watered it every day for two weeks. By the time of the
housewarming party, the lawn was lush. "Wow," one guest
remarked, "that is one healthy-looking lawn! Wish mine looked
like that."
Katie smiled and took her
husband's hand. "We call it 'sweat equity.' It really pays
off."
So
don't let inexperience hold you back — you can put in your own
lawn and maintain it. All the knowledge you need is right
here. Good luck and good lawn care to you!
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